Friday, 17th October 2014 promises to be a night like no other. In the very same hotel kitchen where legendary chef Auguste Escoffier brought London the secrets of French haute cuisine, two of London’s top chefs will prepare

By Adrian Williams Philippine Generations turned seven years old on 16th August. SEVEN YEARS have passed since a group of us angry young second-generation Filipinos began questioning our community, promoting our heritage and pushing our kababayans to educate themselves and connect

We at Philippine Generations only ask this question, because we’ve got a series of dates that most definitely need to go into your calendar:PG Social, Friday 5th September May 2014 The next PG Socialis on Friday 5th Septemberat the Windsor Castle, 114 Campden Hill Road W8 7AR in

We at Philippine Generations are really excited to launch Pinoy Culture Shots, a series of taster sessions on anything related to the Philippines.We have lots of ideas which we are working on, such as Tagalog street speak, traditional dance (tinikling, singkil), Pinoy cooking, history,

Last month, Philippine Generations were very fortunate to work with some great people - the folks behind Hope's Afloat - in putting on a charity film screening of 'Metro Manila'.Metro Manila charity screening at the Prince Charles CinemaWe've been keeping in touch with them since

Mabuhay! It's time yet again to commemorate the 1898 independence of our motherland from the Spanish, and what better way for us Fil-Brits and our friends to do so than to play the Beautiful Game, football?? The PG PIDWC returns yet again, bringing thrilling 5-a-side football

Well, we here at Philippine Generations are quite excited, because there are a few things coming up that we think you should also be excited about.Why all the excitement? PG exists to help promote a greater awareness of Filipino identity through culture and community; everything

Have you ever… Listened to your parents or other relatives seemingly speak in code and wondered, “What are they saying? Is it about me??”Laughed when everyone else laughed, except you didn't understand a single thing that had just been said (and hoped no one would notice)?Ever

This list will be updated as and when we have finished identifying credible and effective local charities and NGOs. If you have any suggestions, please do let us know via info@philippinegenerations.org

(last updated 6th December 2013)

* to understand what each organisation’s mission and activities fully, please go to their websites. Below are PG’s reasons for recommendations

Gawad Kalinga

Tanggol Kalikasan

The Aboitiz Foundation

VICTO National

VSO Bahaginan

Gawad Kalinga [link] over its 10 years in existence supports 2,300 communities across the Philippines.

GK has roughly 20 communities in the affected area in and around Tacloban city that have transformed from long-term, sustainable homes and communities to emergency relief centres of refuge and care.

GK’s resources and infrastructure are already in place to begin reconstruction and rehabilitation (physical and mental well-being support, building citizenship awareness, etc.)

Although they are not at the heart of Tacloban, their relief centres have become crucial distribution channels to more remote areas that international relief operations have not yet reached from the coast. GK’s physically remote positions therefore complements international aid.

Accountability: GK clearly state and categorise where your donation can go towards, as well as the costs for reconstruction, rehabilitation and relief. Regional operations updates are given daily.

All of these details have been given by Gawad Kalinga’s UK manager who is coordinating relief donations from London to the Philippines.

Tanggol Kalikasan(“TK”, translates to “Defence of Nature”) [link] is a non-governmental organisation whose mission is to facilitate the empowerment of communities and institutions to manage their ecosystem through law and other creative solutions.

TK is collecting donations to fund relief operations, in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) of the Department of Agriculture and Tanim Kalikasan (TnK, Plant Nature), a NGO doing forest rehabilitation in the Philippines.

BFAR has sent its first fleet laden with relief goods to Samar and Leyte on14th November, and their Directors are personally involved in transporting the goods.

Coastal towns of the provinces of Samar and Leyte are amongst the hardest hit areas. Due to the vastness of the devastation, TK, BFAR and TnK will be identifying key areas for its relief operation to ensure that areas with least relief are being reached.

With your cash donations, TK will purchase urgently needed supplies, such as food, water and medicines. TK will strive to source supplies from areas near the typhoon-stricken areas to help boost local economy

Their Executive Director, Maria Generosa “Genee” Mislang, can also be contacted on this email.

The Aboitiz Foundation [link] is the charity of the Aboitiz Group, which includes electrical, construction and shipping companies. For 25 years, the Foundation has been working in communities across the Philippines wherever the Group’s companies have been based – including in mid-north Cebu, close to the path of the eye of Typhoon Haiyan.

The Foundation has teams and volunteers across the Philippines who are experienced in disaster relief, often finding themselves on the frontline as with the Bohol earthquake

Because of the international focus on Tacloban in particular, the Aboitiz Foundation’s work in northern Cebu is reaching communities not yet helped by international aid

From their command centre in University of San Carlos in Cebu, the Aboitiz Foundation on Monday started mobilising donated emergency supplies to an initial 6,500 families in northern Cebu, using heavy trucks from the Group’s companies to transport goods

The Aboitiz Foundation’s trucks are also carrying goods from other charities based in Cebu

The Foundation has funded the transport of electrical engineers from the Group’s various companies to northern Cebu to start repairing the power grid, after having restored power in affected areas elsewhere in Cebu and Mindanao

Because the Foundation works in the communities where the Group’s companies are based in, they have publicly made a long-term commitment to helping them to rebuild, particularly with infrastructure

Further queries about the Aboitiz Foundation’s relief efforts can be made to Thet Mesias (+63 917 303 6766), sent to reputation.mgt@aboitiz.com or made via their website

VICTO National[link] is an umbrella organisation that serves to empower and build the capacity of local cooperatives throughout the Visayan region (Regions 6, 7, 8).

VICTO National serves ~240 cooperatives, several of which have been severely impacted by typhoon Yolanda.

These cooperatives who are recovering from lost homes, missing/distressed members of their community continue to assess what is needed in their local communities and to provide what they can to help but are in need of external support, resources and logistics.

VICTO will need the support to sustain their mission to provide education, training, developing social development programmes (around youth, gender, the environment) within the cooperative communities long after their relief efforts.

VICTO contacts will openly ask donors where they would like their money to go, UK contact has told PG of this experience. They have been excellent to answer questions and give updates about their operations too.

21st November – they were working together to make shipments and to transport medical help to Tacloban City with the support of the navy and military air force.

For more info, contact details and to make a donation, please see here: [link]

For live updates and VICTO’s remarkable progress, please see their Facebook page

Our update comes from Audie ‘Dudz’ Samson who is an Executive Consultant and veteran community development worker for VICTO National. Let us know if we can put you in touch with him.

VSO is the world’s leading independent international development charity that works through volunteers to fight poverty in developing countries. VSO Bahaginan is the federation member of VSO in Asia and the Pacific.

Their ‘Give A Banca’ fundraising campaign aims to helps thousands of families in some of the remotest municipalities in Cebu who rely on fishing for survival.

The aim is to provide funds to buy locally sourced nets, fishing hooks, rods, boats and for boat refurbishments. They hope to provide 330 boats for 330 families in target municipalities.

Here is a short video about when volunteers met the fishermen affected by the typhoon.

For queries about the project or how else you can get involved, contact volunteer Sam (London) – samjennings78@gmail.com /07951922574 or VSO Bahaginan Volunteering Development Adviser for Southeast Asia, Pacific and China – Jay Ancheta (Manila)

A grouping of 14 major UK-based, non-government-affiliated charities that have the expertise and resources to deploy to the affected areas. The DEC was established to create a more unified approach to natural disasters to prevent duplication, wastage and inefficiencies.

It’s that time of year – “Pasko na naman!” It’s Christmas again!Every year, Filipinos around the world adorn their homes with Parols, the ever-present colourful lanterns that evoke the star of Bethlehem. And we at Philippine Generations are no exception – we are happy